GAINESVILLE, Florida, January 22, 2025 – The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) will host a State Technical Committee meeting on February 18^th, from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. (Eastern Standard Time) to provide a report for Florida natural resource and program priorities and USDA decisions and to seek recommendations from Florida agricultural leaders.

Participation in the meeting is open to the public and will be available through a combination of in-person and remote participation. In-person attendance is limited to up to 30 members of the committee and NRCS employees at the NRCS state office, located at 4500 NW 27th Avenue, Building A, Gainesville, Florida 32606. All other stakeholders may attend the meeting virtually using the following:

Zoom link: 

https://www.zoomgov.com/j/1616544156?pwd=4KkheIfDFlHynDKbRUIc3PN5aLu4d9.1

Meeting ID: 161 654 4156

Passcode: 054427

One tap mobile

+16692545252,,1616544156# US (San Jose)

+16468287666,,1616544156# US (New York)

Participants are encouraged to sign on as early as 8:25 a.m. to get situated online before the meeting begins at 8:30 am. This meeting will be recorded, and presentations will be posted to the website.

Individuals who require special accommodations or materials in an alternative format or language should contact Michael Ruiz, Acting - Assistant State Conservationist for Partnerships and Initiatives at (352) 477-0891 or michael.ruiz@usda.gov by February 10th. Meeting agenda and information materials will be posted on the NRCS State Technical Committee website in advance of the meeting. 

Chaired by NRCS Florida State Conservationist Juan Hernandez, the committee is composed of individuals and groups from a variety of agricultural and natural resource interests, as well as farmers. Although the State Technical Committee has no implementation or enforcement authority, USDA strongly considers the committee's recommendations. Additional information on NRCS and programs is available on our website or at your local USDA NRCS office. 

More Information

To learn more about NRCS programs, producers can contact their local USDA Service Center.  Producers can also apply for NRCS programs, manage conservation plans and contracts, and view and print conservation maps by logging into their farmers.gov account. If you don’t have an account, sign up today. 

USDA touches the lives of all Americans each day in so many positive ways. Under the Biden-Harris administration, USDA is transforming America’s food system with a greater focus on more resilient local and regional food production, fairer markets for all producers, ensuring access to safe, healthy and nutritious food in all communities, building new markets and streams of income for farmers and producers using climate smart food and forestry practices, making historic investments in infrastructure and clean energy capabilities in rural America, and committing to equity across the Department by removing systemic barriers and building a workforce more representative of America. To learn more, visit usda.gov. 

Websites in news release:

Natural Resources Conservation Service (Florida):  https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/conservation-basics/conservation-by-state/florida 

NRCS State Technical Committee February 18^th Meeting Zoom Link: https://www.zoomgov.com/j/1616544156?pwd=4KkheIfDFlHynDKbRUIc3PN5aLu4d9.1 

NRCS State Technical Committee webpage: https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/conservation-basics/conservation-state/florida/technical-committee 

USDA Service Center: https://www.farmers.gov/working-with-us/service-center-locator 

Log into or sign up for a farmers.gov account: https://www.farmers.gov/account 

U.S. Department of Agriculture: http://www.usda.gov/ 

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